Since 2006, the Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI) has awarded more than US$6 million to female entrepreneurs who lead businesses with a sustainable social or environmental impact. Along with grants, CWI provides mentorship, networking and fundraising support.
Hongkonger Natalie Chan of OWN Academy is one of this year’s 24 fellows selected from a pool of 876 applicants from 142 countries. Chan found her education had ill-prepared her for the realities of the professional world and was inspired to launch OWN as a platform to connect young people to companies with real-world learning.
“I m so grateful Cartier is offering this kind of assistance,” says Chan. “The fact that it’s been 15 years, they are way ahead of the curve. They re not doing this because it’s cool and trendy; they re doing it because they truly believe in the impact.”
Cartier
announced the eight winners of its 2021 Women s Initiative Awards, with Basima Abdulrahman from Iraq scooping the top prize for the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), for her company Kesk.
Speaking with The National, Abdulrahman explained what this recognition means. Winning Cartier Women s Initiative award and being selected as a laureate in the MENA region makes me feel more hopeful and stronger. It sends a powerful message that our work is needed now more than ever. Women-led start-ups received only 2.3 per cent of venture capital funding in 2020 and even fewer became unicorns. The CWI initiative is important because it is challenging social norms and gender stereotypes to unlock women’s potential. It provides access to capital, human resources, and a leadership capacity development program. Its success lies